Good Tuesday Morning. At least I didn’t stay up late watching Georgia-TCU.

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What We’re Hearing
”The bonds of trust between friends – as close as you and I have been – are now broken.” – Rep. Jim Gregory

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Cake and candles to former U.S. representative Bill Shuster. Someone with an upcoming birthday who deserves a shoutout? Let us know.

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Top Story

1. Rozzi Wants ‘Work Group’ After Slow Session Start

“A week after he was a surprise choice to become speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Democratic state Rep. Mark Rozzi on Monday canceled sessions for the rest of the week after failing to reach a deal on his primary legislative priority.

The House did virtually no business, and after hours of delay Rozzi issued a statement saying the two caucuses were too far apart. He announced he would create a “working group” of three Republicans and three Democrats “of varied interests from across the commonwealth to sit down and find a way forward.” (Associated Press)

Related

PA House At Standstill Over Operating Rules, ‘Window’ For Child Sex Crime Survivors. “The promise of bipartisan action in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives last week made for nice speeches but when it came time to get work on Monday, it appears to have disappeared.” (PennLive)

• Rozzi To Appoint Working Group On Legal Relief For Abuse Survivors After Special Session Stalls. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• PA House Stalls On Child Abuse Reform. (LehighValleyNews.com)

Will Rozzi Register Independent? Will He Serve A Full Term? Questions Remain After Last Week’s PA Speaker Election. “Unanswered questions remain about how the House will function after Speaker Mark Rozzi’s selection, and they will have implications for policy-making and Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s agenda.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Lawmaker Who Nominated Rozzi For Speaker Now Calling For Him To Resign. “The House Republican who last week nominated Democratic state Rep. Mark Rozzi for House speaker is now calling on him to resign from the post for wavering on his commitment to change his party affiliation to independent.” (PennLive)

• PA House Speaker May Not Go Independent; Asked To ‘Immediately Resign.’ (The Center Square)

Washington

2. Lee, Progressive Caucus Starts Year With Bigger Roster, Focus On Unity

“At 103 members — nearly half of the 212-member Democratic roster — progressives are poised to wield greater influence in a closely divided chamber. Among the caucus’ 16 new members are Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida, the first Generation Z member of Congress; Becca Balint, the first woman elected from Vermont; and Summer Lee, the first Black woman elected from Pennsylvania.” (Roll Call)

Related

Smucker Unsuccessful In Budget Chair Bid. “Jodey Arrington of Texas won the gavel for the House Budget Committee on Monday, edging out two other GOP lawmakers to head the panel.” (Washington Examiner)

Deluzio Takes Oath, Talks First-Year Priorities. “U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio formally took the reins of Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District early Saturday morning, four days later than expected.” (Beaver County Times)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Shapiro Nominates Secretaries Of Education, Labor And Industry, And Administration

“Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro announced three more cabinet appointments, tapping Dr. Khalid Mumin to be Secretary of Education; Nancy Walker to be Secretary of Labor and Industry; and Neil Weaver to be Secretary of Administration.” (PoliticsPA)

• Shapiro Taps Superintendent To Be Education Secretary. (Associated Press)

Related

Voter ID, Audits, Regulatory Authority Constitutional Amendments Advance PA Senate Committee. Three proposed constitutional amendments — requiring voter identification for every election, mandating post-election audits by the auditor general, and expanding the General Assembly’s authority over regulations — passed a Republican-controlled Senate committee on Monday.“” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

• PA Senate Committee Moves Forward On Constitutional Amendments On Voter ID, Election Audits, Regulatory Reform. (Tribune-Democrat)

House Republicans Set To Introduce Voter ID Legislation. “Republican state Reps. Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland) and Thomas Kutz (R-Cumberland) will introduce legislation amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to require voters to provide valid identification in order to vote in an election.” (PoliticsPA)

Meet The Freshmen In The General Assembly. “The freshman class of 2023 has been sworn in and is ready to go in the Pennsylvania state House and Senate. There are 49 new members of the House and six new members of the Senate.” (PoliticsPA)

Philly Acting City Controller Is Suing City Over ‘Resign To Run’ Rule. “Acting City Controller Christy Brady is suing the city to settle the legal debate over whether Brady must resign before she begins campaigning in the upcoming special election for her office.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philly Mayoral Hopeful Domb’s Deep Pockets Put Pressure On Rivals To Raise Money. “The triggering of the “millionaire’s amendment” by real estate mogul Allan Domb, puts financial pressure on the rest of the mayoral candidates and more emphasis on the next public campaign finance reports, political observers said.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Republican Clay Walker Says Not To Count Him Out In Feb. 7 Special Election To Replace DeLuca. “By most metrics, the Feb. 7 special election to replace the late state Rep. Tony DeLuca will be a tough climb for Republicans. But Clay Walker, the Republican nominee, has faith.” (WESA)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Harrisburg Showed ‘Stunning’ Bipartisanship. Three Ways To Help Ensure That Continues. (Pat Christmas, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The Republican Party Slowly Un-trumpifies Itself, But What Difference Will That Make? (Ross Douthat, New York Times)
• On Voter ID, Trust The Voters. (Nathan Benefield, Commonwealth Foundation)
• MSNBC And The King Of Hate Media. (Daniel Greenfield, Broad + Liberty)
• Common Board Well Worth Experiment. (Times-Tribune)
• Team Pennsylvania Already At Work. (Daily Item)
• Good Start For New House, Will it Work? (Citizens Voice)

1 Thing

5. Baby Goat Snuggling

Animals are a big part of Pennsylvania agriculture, and there are more than 4,000 of them at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Some of the youngest animals are turning out to be the stars of the show.

One of the newest attractions at this year’s farm show is baby goat snuggling.

“It’s just insane. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be this big of a success — 40-minute lines yesterday all day long to come snuggle all these baby goats,” Justin Steinmetz said.

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